I am always asked, “Why should I use the collaborative process?” There are many reasons. Many couples are fortunate that they can calmly work out what they want to do with their children and their property even though they are getting a divorce.

Changes in our society have caused us to rethink our common definition of "family". The notion of the traditional family structure has expanded to include single parent households, same sex parented households and grandparents as primary caregivers. Not surprisingly, when legal issues arise in these family situations, the law has often struggled to adequately address the needs of all the family members.